Could you give me some concrete instructions as to how to "employ things from
shoulder to wrist"? I tried it in my playing but I am not sure
about the exact mechanisms.

Answer:

The proper, artistically effective piano technique cannot be
interpreted as something of purely mechanical quality. Such technique should
better be named as a psycho-technical structure and, therefore, its
improvement must synchronically be realized from the both sides: physical
(mechanical) and – firstly – from this mental one. Let us start just from this
side of the matter: its improvement could be started, for instance, from the very
simple visualization. Let you try to "fulfill" your
hand with your whole Will to realize totally singing still very
well-articulated legato cantabile, which helps to change the whole
hand into really good-working part of the entire working
system(we know, legato cantabile has nothing to do with any
kind of the "cheap sentiments"). Physically seen,
such kind of an intense fulfilling can be named as a kind of the simple
STRETCHING...

Such fulfilled hand becomes,
commonly, more easily ready to better conduct the fingers, giving them
possibility not only to intensely melodic intonation of the actually practicing
phrase, guiding them via direction of this "virtual bow" to
the side, its MUSICAL development is going on. So, not pushing, nor pressing
on the keys, which habitually is completed via overused power of upper parts
of the hands may be in charge here. This manner of playing we actually are
speaking about, cannot even remember the legato of the kind, which commonly
means: a chain of the clearly perceptible sounds. This kind of
practicing I would like to propose you at this point, must conjoin as well
the strictly precise articulation of the oncoming sounds, completed better in
forte than in the piano, as it must be done on such an
intensely singing virtual basis that without doubts would fully employ
all the student's mental and emotional resources...

Results of such kind of
practicing would become greatly satisfying in the very short times: the very
material values of playing become truly easily tied together with the
artistic, mental roots of the playing, which must make more firm the both
sides of the entire process (let you compare this text to Answer 1, please! Thank you!).

It would really be helpful to
see – how The System works; this marvel could be realized via
this link. As well, I cordially suggest
having a look at this humble Post Scriptum.

All the things must be
implement using the real leggiero (smoothly, easily, with a virtual wind
in the virtual sail) in hands as well, as in the soul. The most fatal
error would come to pass yet if one would like to interpret leggiero
as a synonym of any kind of weakness,physical and/or mental as well.
One has to remember that in the each one sound one might take up, one
actually has to experience the motion of its musical energy/power.

Sound's development, sound's
disappearing, passing motion of the sound – these are the real aspects of
the sound's life. We have to experience these processes exactly as the singers,
cellists, violinists or brass players perceive them. If
such an active fulfilling the sounds with the artistic significance would not
be executed, the piano playing will surely become dry, formal and difficult; I sincerely suggest reading the answers on questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 once more again.

Now, let us go to strictly mechanic
part of the matter! This is the picture No 1:

Habitually, the pianists are
interested mainly in theirs fingers' (at last - wrists') action: the Part C
in our picture. The greater part of the hand does not know – WHAT exactly has
to be done (A + B in the picture 1)?

And now,
to the picture No 2:

The most DANGEROUS direction
for the pianist's energy - is "straightly down". Such direction
puts decisive impact on the whole energy circulation's quality in our mind & body entireness, focusing its
hit somewhere in the keyboard's depths. Well, but THIS IS not the suitable
place to any positive action of the fingers, fantasy or hearing. ONLY FINGERS
and only the WEIGHT could be thrown just straightly down, according to the
working power of gravitation. The "bows" must correct it and bring
something MUSICAL to the matter. Still MUSIC possess the LINEAR character and
the positive way of thinking should be depicted as a LINE that does not
disappear somewhere in the non concrete depths...!

To secure fingers and the
fantasy also, before such a terrible trap, is a main duty of hands! That is
why the hands have to be "equipped" with a virtual "bow"
that would "carry up" the fingers. Such bow, helping
them to achieve the proper Zone of sound's quality, would not allow them to go too deep and as well would offer them enough energy for the
future appropriate action.

I know, this is not easy to
understand such things just reading about them. For the best – you could make
a record (the DVD is the best, but it could be just magnetic tape or CD) and
send it to me. You absolutely not must to show the record of concert quality!
The whole thing should be realized in the similar sense as represents the common
practicing. In some days I will make and send you back my musical response,
giving possibly clear sounding instruction with concrete samples that could
properly enlighten the situation.